The best new science-fiction books of October 2026Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000 From Becky Chambers to Audrey Niffenegger, there are some heavy hitters with new sci-fi novels out this month – and a hefty dose of time travel, says Alison Flood | |
Explainer: What is El Niño?Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Every few years, a disturbance in the Pacific Ocean is amplified by feedback mechanisms in the atmosphere, unleashing heat and extreme weather around the globe | |
The astonishing collective impact of household energy shiftsWed, 30 Sep 2026 07:13:00 +0000 A subtle change in household power habits could eliminate the need to build new gas power plants, say researchers studying energy usage | |
Urban trees in south-east England can’t cope with the changing climateTue, 29 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0000 In cities such as London, trees are already struggling with hot and dry summers. Botanists warn that we need to start replacing them with drought-adapted species | |
Spectacular feathered dinosaur fossil shows bird-like adaptationsTue, 29 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0000 An exquisitely preserved fossil found in China shows that many anatomical features seen in birds also evolved independently in another group of dinosaurs | |
Why are so many animals moving to hotter places as the world warms?Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0000 We have long expected animals to move to cooler habitats as climate change bites, but it now appears that many are actually doing the opposite. What on earth is going on? | |
How will El Niño affect the world?Tue, 29 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000 From Australia to California, the UK to Peru, turbulent weather is on the way | |
Trustworthy science journalism is more essential than everTue, 29 Sep 2026 10:59:45 +0000 As New Scientist celebrates its 70th anniversary, climate change, AI and misinformation have heightened the need for rigorous, sceptical reporting | |
Scientists can’t stop using AI, even when forbidden from doing soMon, 28 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0000 When scientists were asked to review papers for a conference without using AI tools, many of them ignored the request and used AI anyway | |
Our food system is vulnerable to El Niño, warns UK climate ministerMon, 28 Sep 2026 15:52:17 +0000 Extreme weather could damage harvests worldwide, but the answer is more local food production, not stockpiling, Katie White said in an interview with New Scientist | |